LOCAL NEWS
Proposed Wal-Mart Site Suits Gilbert
BY GREG SVELUND
TRIBUNE
11 /05/02


Finally, a Wal-Mart application of which Gilbert officials can be proud.
Wal-Mart submitted a pre-application last week for a Superstore and a Sam's Club at the southwest corner of Williams Field Road and the proposed San Tan Freeway stretch of Loop 202. But unlike the proposed Wal-Mart store near downtown Gilbert and adjacent to Town Hall, this store would go exactly where town officials intended a giant retailer to go.
"It's where we've always expected a Wal-Mart to go," said planning director Jerry Swanson. "I like to have things go in the right place."
The proposed store is located to take advantage of the San Tan Corridor, the area along the proposed freeway that is commercially zoned for power centers and "big box" stores. The San Tan Freeway is scheduled to be completed near the store in 2006.
According to plans submitted last week, a 207,000 square foot Wal-Mart Superstore would sit adjacent to a 133,000 square foot Sam's Club on more than 35 acres. Plans call for more than 1,700 parking spaces.
Planners will review the pre-application in coming weeks, and Wal-Mart could submit a formal proposal in the next few months. The store could open in 2004.
The store is expected to receive significantly less opposition from residents than the proposed Wal-Mart Superstore near Town Hall, southeast of Gilbert and Warner roads, Swanson said. Residents have opposed that proposed store, and town officials have said the store violates zoning ordinances and should not be allowed. The application for that store is in limbo while Wal-Mart decides how and whether to proceed, said senior planner Jim Cronk.

— Tribune writer Greg Svelund can be reached by e-mail at gsvelund@aztrib.com or by calling (480) 898-6542.

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